The Door With the Key
by WybourneObsessed
Summary: First it was the dreams, telling him to get the key. When Wybie and Coraline go through the door at last, they find that not only is the Other Mother dead, but they are trapped in a blank white world, just waiting to be created again.
1. The Voice

**A/N: Welp. This is my first story. About Wybie of course. Am I a little TOO obsessed? ...I guess you can say that. **

**Enjoy,try to enjoy,just please read. xD**

* * *

The door.

That's the way it always started.

The door, then the key, then the exploring.

That's the way it started with her sister, that's the way it started with Coraline.

And that was how it was going to start with Wybie Lovat.

He was asleep. Tossing, turning, mumbling. About the world.

The 'Other' world. The one full of wonders that turned into nightmares. The world full of fun and games gone wrong.

He couldn't help dreaming about it. Ever since that day Coraline had explained what was on the other side, Wybourne Lovat fought the urge to run into the room with the fireplace and the door and see for himself what was behind it.

Maybe Coraline just wanted him to think that it was evil, so she could keep it all to herself. What if there was no witch? What if there was no hand? What if that night had all been a dream?

It seemed more and more like some kooky, wierded-out nightmare. Hanging onto the edge of the well, getting his hand swiped at by a cluster of needles.

Can that really be real?

Whether it was or wasn't, he was going to find out. He HAD to find out. The REAL truth. Not Coraline's story of it.

That voice echoed throughout his dream once more. That voice. THE voice. The one that was sweet as honey, but as sharp as needles. The entrancing voice. The hypnotizing voice.

"Come through the door…You know where the key is...Just get the key…"

"T…The…Key…" Wybie mumbled softly in his sleep, rolling over on his bed. "Get…. The key…"

"_Yes…" _The voice crooned. Oh, such a sweet voice. It was too hard to fight it. The spell it had over him. The voice was too sweet, he couldn't let it go. _"The key Wybourne…I'm waiting."_

And that's when the dream always ended, Wybie shooting straight up in bed, his ears ringing as though the person that belonged to that voice had been whispering to him right by his ear.

"_What a sweet voice…Like honey…How'd I dream that up?" _He'd always think, running a hand through his mass of rust-colored curls. He didn't know how he'd dreamed it up. It was a nightmarish voice, but also a beautiful voice.

One that was welcoming and warm, and cold and cruel at the same time. It had a hint of falsity in it, that voice. Like it wasn't all it was pretending to be…

A lost voice. A voice that Wybie could not point out who it belonged to. It was as if he'd heard it before. Before everything went wrong and crazy and disastrous. Before Coraline.

And Wybie would just sigh. It was too late to be pondering. Even pondering about a voice in his dream. It was ridiculous, really. Paying so much attention to a simple voice.

After he would lie down and start to drift off again, even before he was fully asleep, the voice would come back.

"_The key Wybourne…You know I'm waiting."_

And he knew where the key was.

* * *

**A/N: Should I continue? Should I quit? Does this story have any promise at all?**

**Your answer is....**

**I dunno yet. **

**Maybe if I get some reviews,they will encourage me. :P **

**Here's hopingg!**


	2. Just My Imagination?

"Don't go too far Wybourne."

"Okay gramma."

Wybie walked off the porch of his faded, light blue house, towards the small shed (or shack, as his grandma called it) to retrieve his motorbike that he'd made himself, motor and all.

After wheeling the red tiger-striped object out of the shed, Wybie grabbed his skeleton mask, which he had also made himself. He mounted his bike, and with a nod of his head, sent the mask down to cover his face.

He decided to ride out to the old well, despite the fact that the metal remains of an evil witch's hand and a key to another world were thrown into its depths not even a month ago.

While Wybie sped along, his thoughts drifted back to his dream. They always did. Especially the voice.

He just couldn't put his finger on it. Before the incident with the hand, he'd never dreamed of the voice. He could've sworn that he had never heard it in real life either.

_It's just a dream though…Nothing special about a voice. Right?_ He thought.

There was nothing special about _a _voice. But there was something special about _this _voice.

He didn't know why, but he just had a feeling that there was something out-of-the-ordinary about it. Something dangerous about it.

Whenever the voice appeared in his dream, it never was like a nightmare. No, it was more like a regular dream. A good dream. A great dream in fact.

There was never a person to claim the voice in his dream. It was just a voice in the air, coming from nowhere, but somewhere at the same time.

It was odd. But weren't most dreams odd?

When Wybie arrived at the well, he hopped off his bike and let it fall into the mud by the tree stump that sat by it. He then crouched down by the wooden planks that covered the giant hole, picking up a small stone in his gloved hand.

He dropped it through one of the holes in the planks and put his ear to them to hear its collision with the water below.

Wybie had silently counted in his head until the rock hit the water. Wait-not the water. His eyes widened slightly as he heard an unfamiliar sound-the sound of something clinking against metal-but then he heard the splash.

He stood up and cocked his head slightly, staring at the well. Was the clinking sound just in his imagination? Yes that had to be it. There was nothing metal down in the well besides the hand, and it was in pieces.

It HAD to be in pieces. He had smashed it with the rock, even helped throw it down the well himself. It wasn't coming back up...Was it?

Wybie just stared blankly at the well, lost in thought, before jumping as a feminine voice sounded behind him. It wasn't anything like _the _voice though.

"Staring at some wood and a hole. That's completely sane _Wybournee._"

Wybie snapped back to attention and turned around to face the girl with blue hair in a yellow raincoat. The girl that he had been friends with-or _tried _to be friends with-ever since she moved into the Pink Palace.

Wybie smiled a little and waved a skeleton-glove-covered hand at her. "As far as I know, no one's completely sane around here anymore."

Coraline rolled her eyes, threw her magenta shoulder bag into the mud by the stump's base, and raised an eyebrow at Wybie.

"Did you check already?"

"Yup."

"How many seconds before it landed in the water?"

"Seven. But…I-I think I heard…_Something_ before it hit the water." Wybie fidgeted nervously with his hands.

"Seven seconds?! How deep is that thing?!" Coraline kneeled down by the fairy ring and ran her hand along the boards of wood. Then she heard the second part of the boy's sentence.

"_Something?_ What kind of '_something'_?" She asked, giving Wybie a wierd look.

"Don't think I'm crazy or anything but…I-it sounded like it hit metal before the water. I-I'm not sure really. Maybe it was just my imagination…" He trailed off. Coraline knew what object Wybie was referring to when he said "it."

He meant the stone. They had been taking turns throwing them down the well everyday and counting how many seconds it took for it to land in the water.

The length of seconds were growing.

"It probably _was_ your wierded-out imagination Why-Were-You-Born," Coraline replied, standing up and brushing some mud off of her raincoat.

"Probably…" Wybie mumbled. But he didn't really think it was his imagination. He'd heard it, clear as his grandmother's triangle when she wanted him home. It was a soft 'clink' and then a 'splash'. He was positive.

There was a silence between the two children as they stood, lost in thought. Wybie was the first to break it. "So…How's the garden looking?" He asked, referring to the garden that everyone had helped plant behind the Pink Palace.

"It's actually looking pretty good, considering it's in a place that rains every five seconds." As if to prove her point, a raindrop plopped onto her pointed nose. She frowned and wiped it away while Wybie chuckled softly.

"That's Oregon for ya Jonesy." He smiled at the girl and leaned against the old tree stump. "Man, I haven't seen the sun in days." He glanced up at the gray sky.

"More like weeks," Coraline muttered. "Times like these make me wish I was in Florida right now."

"Unless Florida was having a hurricane."

"…Right. But at least they get to see the sun more than once a week."

"You're exaggerating, Jonesy." Wybie rolled his eyes.

A familiar call of "Wybourne!" could be heard even from the well, followed by the ring of a triangle, interrupting the two's conversation.

Coraline smirked. "And you're being paged."

Wybie turned his head in the direction of the call and sighed. Walking over to his bike he hopped onto it and put his mask on top of his head.

"Catch ya later Jonesy." He smiled, giving her a two-fingered solute before pedaling off down the steep hill towards home.

Coraline smiled and shook her head slightly.

_You're so weird Wybourne. _

All while Wybie was riding home, he couldn't help but think about the clink at the bottom of the well before the stone hit the water.

It _was_ his imagination. It _had _to be.

Right?

* * *

**A/N: Woo,chapter twoo. =] **

**Aren't you so happy? I know you are. Thanks for the reviews so far btw! ^_^**

**I think I know where I'm going with this story. Key words: I think. **

**Please R&R. :3**


	3. What If?

Wybie rode home, his mind still occupied on the clink he had heard at the well. It was creepy. It was mysterious. And only one thing can come from a mystery: an adventure.

But Wybie was done with adventure. He didn't want any more adventure. Sure, he wanted action, but not dangerous adventures with a creepy metal spider-hand thing.

What he _really _wanted was to go through the door.

Ever since Coraline had explained to him what it was like that day at the garden party, he had wanted to see for himself.

* * *

"_Really? Buttons for eyes?!" _

"_Yes, Wybournee. Buttons for eyes. No joke." _

"_But…That's crazy!"_

_Coraline narrowed her eyes. "Remember what happened last time when you said that Wybie." _

_Wybie bit his lip and took another sip of his lemonade. A world where people have buttons for eyes…Hmm…_

_While Coraline explained the rest of her tale to his grandmother, Wybie stared at the faded Pink Palace. _

_What if…What if I could see that for myself?_

* * *

"What if…" Wybie mumbled to himself. _What if. Just SEE for myself. To make sure Jonesy really isn't crazy.._

Wybie shook his head. That was a dumb thought. There was no way to get in the Pink Palace and open that door by himself without Coraline finding out. There was no way.

But what if? Just those two words: what if? Anything was possible, as long as you had a plan.

Wybie didn't have a plan though. And that's what _did _make it impossible.

He hopped off his bike once more and stood it up before making his way into his home.

His grandmother was sitting at the kitchen table, reading a knitting magazine, and Wybie waved as he made his way to the refrigerator.

"Hey gramma," He said, opening the door and fishing out a tube of blueberry Gogurt.

"You're coat's a mess Wybourne," His grandmother replied, standing up and giving him a slightly scolding look.

"I don't get it muddy on purpose!" The boy defended, slurping his snack. "It's not my fault it rains all the time here."

Mrs. Lovat just sighed and sat back down, continuing to read.

Wybie shrugged and walked into the living room, plopping down on the old brown couch and turning on the TV. There was supposed to be a good documentary on about killer whales at three.

He was sitting and watching two killer whales playing catch with a seal when the phone rang. Sighing, Wybie got up from his place on the couch and answered the ringing, electronic object.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Wybie, you'll never guess what Mom said!" Coraline's excited voice sounded through the speaker.

She was talking about the sleepover. It was Friday night, and Wybie and Coraline had planned to have a sleepover.

The only bad thing was, it was at the Pink Palace.

But since the Other Mother was gone, Wybie was sure his grandmother wouldn't mind. The flat was safe now. It had been for almost a month.

"What'd she say Jonesy?" Wybie asked, twirling the phone's cord in his fingers.

"She said it was okay!!" Coraline replied.

"Awesome! So…what time do ya want me over?"

"Hmm…what about seven?"

"Sounds good to me." Wybie said, smiling.

"Okay, see you at seven then!"

"Roger that Jonesy."

There was a faint clinking sound as Coraline hung up the phone. Wybie hung up too and walked over to his grandmother, who was still sitting at the table.

"Hey gramma…" Wybie put his hands behind his back and rocked back and forth on his feet.

"Yes Wybourne?" Mrs. Lovat looked up at him, an eyebrow raised.

"Umm…W-well…Coraline's havin' a…a sleepover…And I was just wondering…Can I…go?" He smiled innocently.

His grandmother considered this for a moment. "I…suppose so. But you have to hurry and get ready if it's tonight, Wybourne."

"Yes!" Wybie shouted. "Thanks gramma!" He gave her a hug before racing upstairs to pack for the event that night.

All while Wybie was packing, his thoughts were not on the sleepover, however. They were on the door. That door. Did it REALLY lead to the 'Other World?' What if it did...And he went through it?

What if he snuck downstairs in the middle of the night? Just took a little peek at it…Just a peek. Nothing more...

He shook his head. No. It was another ridiculous idea. Another _what if._

But he kept thinking about it.

_What if?_

* * *

**A/N: Yup. I know,short chapter. :P **

**But I was bored. and when I'm bored, I write. And this felt like a good place to stop.**

**Looks like Wybie's gonna spend the night at the Pink Palace. Hmm...Let's see how that turns out. **

**Mwahahahaha! D **

**R&R! Pleaseee? :3**


	4. Just A Peek

_Ding-dong.  
_

Wybie stood on the porch of the Pink Palace, black sleeping bag rolled up under one arm, backpack slung over the other. He nervously shifted his weight from one foot to the other, thinking about the plan for tonight.

_The plan. Just…Wait. Tonight I'll go downstairs and…get a peek. A little peek. Nothing more. Then I'll go back upstairs and go sleep. Keep it simple; Jonesy'll never find out._

He about to ring the doorbell again when Coraline's face appeared in the doorway, smiling. The smile sent Wybie's heart racing. That smile. He loved it. It was that smile she gave him on that night.

_That night…_

And ever since that night, the voice lingered in his dreams. Ever since that night…

"Well, are you going to come in or just stand there Why-Were-You-Born?"

"Huh?" Wybie raised an eyebrow; unaware he had been lost in his thoughts. "Oh! Heh, right. Sure."

Coraline stepped aside, letting the boy walk through the doorframe and deposit his sleeping bag and backpack onto the floor. He glanced around, taking in the flat before him.

"C'mon!" Coraline grabbed his arm and started to lead him upstairs. Wybie just sighed and allowed her to lead along. There was no use protesting. "We finally finished unpacking!"

"T-that's…nice. You must've brought a lot from Michigan."

"Believe me, we basically brought the whole house!"

She then started giving Wybie the "official" tour of her new home, since his last visit ended with him shouting "crazy crazy crazy" and getting very hard, blue boots pelted at the back of his curly head.

Coraline showed him her room, the kitchen, her parents' room, and Mr. Jones' study. She didn't show him the drawing room, however. She was sure that the Other Mother would be able to know that there was another child to ensnare if he went anywhere _near _that room. She gave him a firm warning about going in there, too.

"And you know what this room is, riighht?" the girl questioned, gesturing to the drawing room's doorway. No way she was going in there anymore.

"…Uh, yeah? It's the drawing room. With that creepy door."

"Exactly. And you know I'll do if you go anywhere near it when I'm not around?"

"Umm…Break my arm?"

Coraline narrowed her eyes and smirked slightly. "I'll do more than that. But the point is, _stay away from this room. _It's off-limits. No exeptions."

Wybie nodded, his eyes wide. "Right. Stay away. Got it."

Eventually, the tour was over, and Coraline and Wybie made their way into the kitchen for a snack. Mrs. Jones was typing away on her laptop, working on her share of the new catalogue chapters.

"Hey mom," Coraline greeted, starting to explore the cabinets for something more appetizing than her father's stew that he had made for dinner last night. She could've sworn that it had moved.

"Hey Mrs. J," Wybie said, standing beside Coraline and staring at the food in the cabinets.

"Hello, you two," Mrs. Jones replied dully, her fingers continuing to speed across the keyboard. Then she noticed what the children were doing. She sighed and pulled the keyboard back to stare at them. "Dinner's only in a couple of hours you know. You won't starve."

"Yes we wiilllll!!" Coraline groaned. "We'll either starve or barf whenever we find out what dad's cooking for dinner."

Mrs. Jones just rolled her eyes. "No snacks before dinner."

Coraline gave an exasperated sigh and started to walk out of the room. "Fine. Come on Wybourne."

He hurriedly followed along.

*~*

When dinner finally came around, Wybie was starving. But when Mr. Jones placed a plate of what was supposed to be homemade pizza in front of him, his appetite left him like a bolt of lightning.

"I…I'm not hungry, Mr. Jones," Wybie pushed his plate away hesitantly. "I ate before I came over."

Coraline looked at Wybie, her eyelids half covering her eyes as if to say: "You're pathetic." But even she hadn't touched her food.

Mr. Jones was eating his own concoction however. It seemed as if he was the only one who found it edible. Watching him eat the piece of pizza with pineapple chunks and mushroom pieces topped on made Wybie's stomach churn.

*~*

Wybie soon regretted not eating when he laid in his sleeping bag that night, listening to his stomach grumble for the fifteenth time.

He could almost hear Coraline's eyebrows narrowing as she replied. "If you don't keep that black hole of a stomach quiet I swear Wybourne…"

"I-it's not my fault!" The boy protested, placing his hands over his empty stomach. "I couldn't eat that stuff your dad made! I would've barfed!"

"Welcome to my world." She mumbled, rolling over and glancing at him from the top of her bed. His olive-green eyes stared back at her. The way he was staring at her…it was almost…cute. Wait-what? Coraline's eyebrows pulled together. Wybourne Lovat was anything BUT cute. That was a sure thing.

Why would she think he was _cute_?

A yawn from Wybie snapped her out of her thoughts. She watched as he stretched out on his sleeping bag and rubbed his eyes. "Well…I'm tired Jonesy… I'm gonna get some sleep. G'night." He smiled and closed his eyes.

Coraline got comfortable in her bed also. "Yeah…G'night Wybie."

"Night Jonesy..." He replied sleepily.

Coraline closed her eyes also and soon fell asleep, Wybie right behind her.

*~*

Even though Wybie had fallen asleep before he could go and inspect the door, that didn't keep him from dreaming about it. Or the voice.

_The _voice, of course.

It was speaking to him again. Tempting him. It was _always_ tempting him. Every time. Only this time, his dream was in a place. Usually, his dream was just black, with the voice coming from all around. But now, he was in a room. No, not _a _room. _The _room. The drawing room.

Wybie looked around, confused, before he heard the voice again. It was coming from a specific place, finally.

"_You're so close Wybourne…What are you waiting for? Come closer…" _

He turned his head towards the sound of the voice, towards the small door. The edges were glowing a light green, and he moved closer to it, kneeling by it. Inspecting it. _There has to be some way to open it without the key..._

He ran a skeleton-gloved finger around the keyhole slowly, and tried to pull the door open.

"_It won't open. You know that. Without the key, you can never find out what's behind it…" _The voice had a smirk to it. A taunting smirk. That smirk only made him want to get through the door more. He pulled harder at the square shaped opening, trying to open it. To see. He had to see. He _had _to. And he was so close!There was no way he _wasn't _going to see. Not when he was this close!

And then it started to fade. Just started fading out of sight. Into nothing. Into blackness. The drawing room, the voice, and more importantly the door, started to fade away.

"_Get the key Wybourne…The key…There's only one…You know where it is…Get the key…" _The voice faded into nothingness, along with the rest of the dream.

"_Get the key…" _

"The key!!" Wybie gasped and sat up. He was in Coraline's room once more. He could head her soft breathing on the bed above him.

_Another dream? Aw,man. But it seemed so real! ...That door. I HAVE to go through that door! Not go through tonight....Maybe just a peek._

Wybie bit his lip. _Just a peek. Just a tiny peek…it wouldn't hurt anything. I HAVE to see it. I have to. And if that's what I have to do, thenI'll do it. _

As silent as could be, Wybie snuck out of his sleeping bag, into the hall, and downstairs.

To the drawing room.

To a new world.

Or so he thought.

* * *

**A/N: Guess who's updating too fasttt? :D **

**I am, I am! **

**I need more reviews though! If you don't like the story, tell me what's wrong with it. I shall try my best to fix it in any way possible. **

**But please r&r. :D **

**...You know I'd love you forever if you didd.**


	5. Another Voice

**A/N: Here's another chapter! And I know I've started another story, Dear Jonesy,** **But I haven't forgotten about this one! I'm planning on continuing both of these. :P **

**So read and enjoy! Please? =)**

* * *

Wybie stood in the doorway of the drawing room, staring at the door. He could've sworn its edges were glowing a faint green color.

The moon shown threw the windows in the room, catching the door in its beams of light. Something about the room… It had a pull to it. Willing him in. Like a magnet.

Wybie smiled and starting to walk towards the door. This was it. He was finally going to see what was behind it. The thought of finally seeing its wonders blocked out the fact that he was missing an important part of his plan: the key.

He kneeled beside the small door, just like in his dream, and reached out his hand to pull it open. That's when he heard the voice.

"Wybourne…"

Wybie froze, hand barely an inch from the door. _I know that voice…I-it can't be her…_

Something tugged at Wybie's heart, a lost memory of his mother. It _was _her voice. Or a very good impression of it. She'd died in a car crash though…There was no way it could be her. She had…

Wybie shook his head. _Don't think about it. It was an accident. She's gone…She has been for seven years… _

He blinked back the tears and started to pull at the door again, only to now remember that it was locked.

"Gah…" Wybie mumbled; frustrated. He hit the door with his fist.

"_The key…" _A voice whispered. Now it was _the _voice. Not the other one. A spark came to Wybie's olive-green eyes and he stood up.

The well.

"Wybie…?" A tired voice came from behind him. A regular voice. Coraline's voice.

Wybie whipped around and saw her standing in the doorway, yawning. _Great…At least she's too sleepy to realize where I am. _

He nervously laughed. "H-hey Jonesy…" He quickly scurried from the room and leaned against the doorway as casually as possible.

"Coraline narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you doing…?" She asked suspiciously.

Wybie smiled nervously again and tried to think of a lie. He wrung his un-gloved hands together. _What should I tell her?! Oh, yeah Jonesy, I just wanted to go see for myself what's behind that creepy door because I think you're lying and I'm hearing voices. That's a totally sane response. _

Instead, Wybie went with a better lie. "I uh, couldn't sleep. And I was hungry, so I came down here for a…midnight snack." He smiled, making up the lie as he went along. "And I thought I heard something in here, so I went to check it out.

Coraline seemed to buy it. Though she eyed him suspiciously for a few more seconds. "Okay…Y'know, I could use a snack too…Let's go get one." The girl grabbed the arm of Wybie's pajama sleeve and started to lead him to the kitchen.

_Why does she always do that…?_ Wybie sighed. _So much for the plan…_

~*~

Once again, Wybie lay in his sleeping bag in Coraline's room. At least he got something to eat and his stomach wasn't growling anymore. For now. He could only guess what they were having for breakfast tomorrow morning.

The boy turned on his side and glanced up at Coraline, who was laying on her bed, eyes closed, and breath coming in even, shallow, sighs.

I wonder what she's dreaming about…

Wybie gave himself a weird look. _What the heck? I'm asking myself what Coraline Jones is dreaming about. Maybe I should get some sleep too. Looks like I need it. _

He rolled over onto his back and stared at the ceiling. Thinking. Plotting. Planning.

I have to get the key somehow…Besides, isn't it metal? Or brass? My old fishing pole with a magnet attached could work…

Wybie smiled at the ceiling. _Now that's a plan. _

Just when he started to fall asleep, the other voice called his name again. That voice that he knew. Not from his dreams, but from his life.

"Wybourne…"

Even half asleep, Wybie knew whom the voice belonged to.

It belonged to his mother.

How he could hear her voice like that, he didn't know. It was like magic. Some unknown magic that was bringing out the voice from somewhere and nowhere, just like _the _voice.

The voice sounded in his dreams again, as always, and multiple times Wybie would shoot straight up in his sleeping bag and gasp, the echo of thatvoice still making his ears ring and his mind spin.

He didn't know how much longer he could take it.


	6. Crazy Ideas

It seemed that he had just fallen back asleep for the third time when Coraline started to shake him.

"Why-Were-You-Born…Get uppp…" She shook his shoulder gently.

"Mm…" Wybie stirred in his sleep and rolled over, his back to Coraline. "Five more…minutes…"

"No five minutes! Get up Wybourne!" Coraline rolled him back over.

"Ugghh. I'm up, I'm up." Wybie finally replied, yawning.

"Good, because breakfast is ready. Get dressed and come downstairs Why-Be-Born." Coraline made her way out of the room.

Wybie groaned and dropped his head back onto his pillow. _I'm tired…Can't I just sleep for five more minutes? _

Apparently not. Forcing himself out of the sleeping bag, Wybie got dressed and then headed downstairs, where all the Jones' were in the kitchen. He sat next to Coraline at the table.

"Well, good morning kiddos!" Mr. Jones greeted, grabbing his coffee and papers from the table.

"Morning dad." Coraline said.

"G'morning Mr. J." Wybie smiled.

Coraline took a half-glance at Wybie, and frowned. "Oh my God, Wybie. Are you sure you got enough sleep last night?"

_Oh great, she noticed. _"I-I got plenty of sleep last night Jonesy, why do you ask?"

"Because, there's circles under your eyes. And that's not normal. Even for you."

Wybie frowned slightly. He saw them in the mirror this morning. Dark, black circles were under his tired, half-lidded eyes. He had gotten anything but a good night's sleep last night.

"It's…no big deal," He said, trying his best to look awake. "I just had a nightmare last night."

_It doesn't feel right lying to her like this…But I'll be doing more than just lying to her once I go through the door. _He thought guiltily.

* * *

The dreams were getting worse. It seemed that he couldn't go to sleep anymore. So, at night, Wybie would go outside and walk around. Mostly to the old well.

Tonight was different. Once he got to the well, he thought he heard something scrambling away into the trees.

Wybie immediately froze and looked around. Then relaxed when he heard nothing but the breeze rustling the branches of the old oak trees.

_Probably just a raccoon or squirrel…_ The boy thought nervously glancing around and sitting on the stump by the well. He was planning again.

How to get the key from the dark abyss that him and Coraline called the well.

He'd already tried using his old fishing pole with a magnet attached. It didn't work. It wasn't long enough, and the string was too thin to hold the magnet in place. But what other things could he use to get the key? Besides…jumping in.

Jumping in. That was it. He'd just jump in and get the key himself. No one would ever have to know.

Wybie shook his head, clearing away the ridiculous thought. _That's a crazy idea. Who knows how deep that well is? It could be a mile for all I know, and since it's been taking a long time for those rocks to hit the bottom, it means the water's going down._

But that could be a good thing. Right?

"Whoa, back up." Wybie shook the thoughts from his mind. "There's no way I'm jumping down there."

_Even I would never do that. It's just... Dumb! A dumb dumb dumb DUMB idea._

"Meow."

"Wha?" The boy gave a frightened yep and jumped off of the stump and looking arond for the source of the noise. Then he realized who the culprit was. "Oh!" Wybie laughed as the black, scraggly cat that he had befriended jumped onto his shoulders.

"You scared me to death!" He scratched the feline's ears. It purred and leaned into his touch. "What are you doing out here?"

The cat gave him a look as if saying, "I was just about to ask you the same thing."

Wybie sighed and ran a hand over his face. "I can't sleep cat," He mumbled wearily. "I keep having nightmares. Well, not _nightmares. _The Other Mother's gone, so... I dunno."

The cat gave a low hiss and stared at the well. She was gone, but what if it was... something else?

"Calm down!" Wybie rubbed the cat's arched back again. "It's…it's not that big of a deal." He stiffled a yawned and rubbed the sleepiness out of his eyes. "C'mon, I'm going back to the house. It's too creepy at night."

The cat wiggled out of Wybie's grip and shot off into the darkness with another hiss. Wybie flinched and looked at his ungloved hand. The animal had clawed him in its frenzy to get away. He sucked on the stinging red lines, staring into the woods.

"Crazy cat... what's gotten into you?" the boy whispered.

He was on his way home and jumped again when he heard something padding along behind him. Wybie turned around and saw the feline again. It leapped up to him and set a dead mouse at his feet.

"Uhh... Okay?" Wybie raised an eyebrow, examining the rat with a stick he had picked up.

The cat blinked its shiny blue eyes and ran off into the night.

"Crazy cat." Wybie muttered again, turning and watching the first rays of dawn shine over the Pink Palace.

_It should be over... This whole thing. we threw her hand down the well. Coraline defeated her. The cat clawed her eyes out! _

_The world behind that door should be empty._

_What if it was?_


	7. The Adventure Begins

Wybie sat in an old oak tree, hands folded on his stomach, head against the trunk, thinking about last night.

"Why would he just bring me a mouse and run off?" he thought aloud, looking at his hand where the cat had clawed him. It was confusing. The Other Mother had obviously starved, but what about his dreams? Were they just regular nightmares?

Wybie sighed. "Nothing makes sense..." he mumbled. "Maybe they are just regular dreams. Or maybe it has something to do with what I do before bed. Mmn... That's probably it."

He'd read before that eating something sugary before bed can make you have weird dreams. _But I can't remember a time when Gramma atually let me have something sugary before bed. _Wybie chuckled, remembering his grandmother's words the last time he woke her in the middle of the night, claiming he had had a nightmare.

_"Honestly, Wybourne. Go get a glass of water or some warm milk. I told you those cookies before bed would make you have weird dreams._"

She had been right. _At least the warm milk helped..._

Wybie snapped his fingers. "That's it! Warm milk! That always helps before bed."

The boy stretched and began to climb down the tree. "I'm sure that'll help me with my dreams."

"What dreams?"

The sudden voice made Wybie yelp and he lost his grip on the tree branch he was holding. Suddenly, he fell out of the tree and landed on something soft.

He smiled. _Well, thank you soft thing... that's moving? _

Wybie quickly scrambled off of the thing he had landed on. His eyes widened when he realized who it was. "Coraline!"

Coraline lifted her head from the muddy ground and glared at him. "Tell me, _why _were you born?" she said angrilly, standing up nd spitting out dirt.

"S-s-sorry, I-I didn't know and you scared me!"

"Usually you're the one who scares me."

Wybie rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over the black and silver-striped jacket he'd had since he was five. "Oh, the irony."

His friend nodded, and then there was silence.

"..."

"..."

"Soo..." Wybie chuckled nervously.

"So.." Coraline did the same.

"What... Brings you here?" Wybie asked.

Coraline shrugged. "I don't know. I just wanted to talk to you."

"About what?"

"About you losing sleep."

"L-losing sleep?"

Coraline huffed. "Yeah, Wybie! Jeez, what is your problem?"

"I-I don't have a problem!" Wybie replied, backing away slightly and raising his hands.

Coraline sighed and tried to control her anger. She knew what happened when she got frustrated with Wybie. She slowly walked up to him and grabbed his hands, keeping them in the air, keeping hersef as composd and serious as possible.. "Wybie…Tell me. What's wrong?" She whispered.

Suddenly, it seemed as though the circles under his eyes grew darker. He sighed, defeated. "I…I…" He began. "I've been having these dreams."

"About?"

"About…About the O-Other Mother."

Coraline gasped slightly, and tightened her grip on his hands. "You…You didn't tell me?" she asked, once again trying to contain her anger. She knew it would boil over.

"I-I didn't mean to! I mean-" Wybie's eyes darted around the forest. "E-every night…There's a voice in my dreams. It sounds like the Other Mother, and it…it tells me to get the k-key… But I don't get it, Jonesy! She's dead, right?"

"Yeah..." Coralined breathed. "Shes dead Wybie. You're just having nightmares. Weird ones..." she said under her breath.

"Really weird ones. You don't know the half of it. But... What if she _is _alive?" he asked curiously.

"Her? Alive?" Coraline snorted. "That's ridiculous!" she exclaimed. "You wanna go through the door Wybie? Honestly? See for yourself?"

Wybie hesitated, scared of what Coraline's reaction to it would be, before he nodded slightly. He looked like a little puppy, the way his eyes stared into hers. She dropped her grip on his hands and laughed.

"Fine! We'll 'go through the door!' Hate to disappoint you Wyb, but there's nothing 'through' that door!"

"B-but-!"

"C'mon!" Coraline said, grabbing his arm and leading him along. "We can get the key, and I'll show you just what's 'through the door.'" _Nothing! _She thought.

* * *

One fishing pole with a magnet attached and a black key later, Wybie and Coraline were kneeled by the door in the drawing room.

Wybie shivered as he thought of all his dreams. All the dreams, all the visions. _All the voices…_

"Ready Why-Were-you-Born?" Coraline snickered. _He's so dumb. There's nothing but bricks behind here now! The witch is dead. _

Wybie wasn't really sure why the blue-haired girl was chuckling, but he nodded despite it. "Umm yeah. L-let's do this…!"

"YOU do it." Coraline shoved the key into his gloved hand. Even through his gloves, he could feel the cold that radiated from it. And he noticed that the bottom was oddly shaped like a button…

Despite the shivers that ran down his spine, Wybie inserted the key into the lock and slowly turned.

The boy and girl heard a soft 'click' as it unlocked. Wybie then opened the door to reveal:

Bricks.

Coraline threw her head back, laughing. "Ahahaha! I knew she was gone, I knew it!"

Wybie just sat there, frozen. He stared at the bricks. Then, he put his hand onto them.

"C-Coraline…" He gasped. As Wybie put more pressure on the bricks, they fell away. Not fell away.

Blew away. In reality, they were nothing but dust.

The light brown sand blew away to reveal a tye-dyed tunnel that looked as soft as a cloud. The colors that merged together seemed to be moving.

"Jonesy..." Wybie's voice was high and hysterical.

"What is it Wybour-" Coraline stopped her laughing as soon as she saw the tunnel.

"Oh…my God."


	8. Trapped

**A/N: Gah, I don't this story no more. D:**

**This IS my first story, though. So.**

**Enjoy my [hopefully] better writing.] :D**

**Also, tell me, is THIS, a better plot?**

* * *

"J-Jonesy...Ch-check it out!" Wybie stuttered excitedly, examining the bright neon tunnel in front of him. Coraline slowly narrowed her hazel eyes and grabbed Wybie by the scruff of his jacket.

"Is that all you can say? 'Check it out?'? She hollered at him. The boy tried to curl in on himself, not daring to look into his friend's eyes.

"Look at that!" Coraline pointed down the tunnel. "What do you see, _Wybourne_?"

Wybie cringed at his full name and stole a glance at the tunnel. "I-I see... A, uh... a b-blue tunnel," he mumbled, staring at it's merging colors.

Coraline's eyebrow quirked. "Y'mean... the old tunnel?"

"O-old tunnel? No, it's blue! Tye-dye, I think." he stated thoughtfully.

The girl gave the other world entrance a hard look. To her, it was a musty old thing, damp, cold, and there was a dull breeze brushing past her, giving her goosebumps. What exactly _was _Wybie seeing?

_'He's seeing what she wants him to see', _she thought. _Is that really how it works? _

She didn't dwell on the sick idea that it was her own mind wanting to see the good in the world at first. Until the cold reality set in, she only saw what she wanted. The fun, the harmless things. But there was no good.

"There is no other world!" Coraline gave a frustrated scream. "The Other Mother's _dead! _She _starved_."

Before she could continue her rambling, a smooth, lazy yowl sounded from behind the two children. They whipped their heads around to see the black cat stretched out on the windowsill. Its blue eyes swept over the kids, and then the door. It seemed to roll its blue eyes as if the scene was obvious, and began to clean itself.

Wybie gulped audibly. "W-what does that mean, Jonesy?"

Coraline rolled her eyes as well. "It means she _is _dead, Why-were-you-born. You're seeing the good part of the other world right now. What's left of it. Look closer. "

The boy squinted his olive eyes and stared at the tunnel for a long minute. He gasped quietly as it suddenly morphed into the blemished part of that world.

"Wooow..." he breathed quietly. Coraline nodded.

"You can't be fooled by what's real and what isn't. I had to learn that the hard way."

After a couple minutes of awkward silence, Wybie cleared his throat as his friend let go of the scruff of his coat. "S-so, can we go...in?" he asked cautiously.

The girl bit her lip, and looked at the cat again, who gave its long tail a flick, blinking slowly at her.

Coraline nodded.

"I...I think it's safe to."

Wybie gave an excited little chuckle and began crawling through the tunnel.

As he crawled, he closed his eyes for a long time, and when he opened them, the passageway was beautiful and innocent again. He smiled, satisfied. Coraline began crawling after him, however, the tunnel stayed the same for her.

_'I am not going to be fooled by her, if she is alive, again.' _she thought, determined.

Wybie reached the end of the tunnel and rubbed his gloved hands together happily anticipating what was behind the wooden barrier. "May I?" he asked as his friend crawled up behind him.

"Be my guest, Wybie. Just-"

"Brace yourself."

Both children jumped as the cat spoke behind them. It was halfway through the tunnel, edging away slowly, fur bristling on its tail, back arched.

Wybie gave a stiff nod, and with a deep breath, pushed the door open. He gave a mixture of a gasp and a frightened yelp and jumped backwards, knocking into Coraline and causing the tunnel to jiggle up and down in waves before it settled.

"Get off, Wybourne," Coraline growled. Wybie just stared at her shocked. He had fallen on top of her, and they were face-to-face. The girl's face softened a bit when she saw his expression. "Wybie...?"

"I-i-it's...Ahh..." the boy was a loss for words. He just pointed to the open door. Coraline managed to push the traumatized Wybie off of her and crawl to the door.

"I don't see anything Wy-" she stopped in mid-sentence. There was a crisp, white, black-cracked face with button less eyes starving at her, teeth bared in a frozen expression. Her five remaining needle fingers and hand were trying to make one last attempt to claw at the door.

The Beldam was dead, and right in front of Coraline. The girl slowly stood up and nudged the Other Mother's spider-like corpse out of the way of the door and noticed that there was many scratched incisions in the wood.

"Wybie," she called after recovering from her own shock. "It's safe to come in now!"

Coraline crossed her arms as the door creaked open, revealing Wybie's pale face. He crawled out and stood up, brushing himself off nervously. Then he took in the scene around him.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed.

Besides the Other mother's corpse, and the door, the other world had unraveled itself. Nothing was left but white, blank, open space. Like a white canvas.

"Huh." Coraline turned around, taking in the white world. Wybie did the same.

Wybie chuckled again, the sound slightly and faintly echoing through the barren place. "All this white is making me dizzy. How 'bout you Jonesy?"

Coraline shook her head, beginning to walk into the nothingness. "You're so weird, Wybie. I don't feel dizzy."

"I-I'm just glad that you-know-who over there's dead." the boy inquired, jerking his thumb over to the Other Mother.

"No one could be as happy about it as I am, Wyb, but I think we should get out of here," she turned to her friend. "Something doesn't feel right."

Suddenly, a loud hiss was heard from the other end of the door, and a cold wind brushed the two, making them shiver, even though Wybie was wearing a jacket. They heard a loud _SLAM_, and then another, from their side of the door.

The kids gasped in unison and ran over to the small entrance, grabbing its edges and pulling as hard as they could. It didn't budge from its hold.

"W-w-w..." Wybie looked like he was about to faint. "We're trapped."

They were trapped in the other world, a blank world.

One that no longer existed.


	9. Wishes

"I spy with my little eye... Somethin' silver."

"The stripes on your coat."

"Yup. Your turn."

"I spy with _my _little eye..."

Wybie sighed and watched as his friend stared around the empty white space, searching for an item that the two haven't guessed while playing the now boring game.

"Any day now, Jonesy." Wybie muttered, bored. He leaned back against the wall with the door- the only piece of the other world that still existed. He patted his gloved hands on his lap in a made-up tune while Coraline's eyes searched the area.

"I give up," she finally stated, slumping against the wall beside him. "How long have we been here anyway?"

"I dunno." the boy rolled up his coat sleeve and looked at his black watch. "My watch stopped working."

"That's right. Time stops here.." Coraline murmured.

Wybie sighed again and fiddled with a loose thread on his glove. "If time stops here... how are we gonna eat? There's no food. No one won't even know we're gone."

"I'm... I'm not sure, Wybie." Coraline replied softly.

The pair sat in silence for a few minutes, the true weight of the situation sinking in, before a growling sound came from the inside of Wybie's jacket. The boy's eyes widened and he wrapped his arms around his stomach, muffling the noise. He looked at his friend and chuckled nervously.

"That was your stomach, wasn't it?" Coraline asked, not surprised by the sound coming from her friend's tummy.

Wybie's arms clung tighter to his abdomen, trying to silence the grumbling as he replied. "Y-yeah... Guess I'm a-a little hungry..." he clutched his stomach again in exasperation when the rumbling started back up, and gave a frustrated sigh.

"Shut up, stomach!" he exclaimed. Coraline giggled.

"Its got a mind all its own, Wyb."

"It wouldn't be doing this if I had a cheeseburger right now." Wybie sulked, rubbing his stomach to quiet it down.

"Don't say cheeseburger. You're making me hungry." Coraline replied. Wybie shrugged, and started to trace cheeseburger-shaped circles on the white ground.

"Wish I had a cheeseburger..." he muttered, smacking his lips at the thought. "A cheeseburger with extra pickles... and some fries... and a chocolate milkshake..."

"ARGG!" Coraline yelled as she tackled Wybie to the ground.

"AHH!" Wybie yelped as she pinned him down. Her tea-colored eyes were burning into his feeble olive eyes. He gulped.

"Wybourne Jerimiah Lovat," she warned, her knees on his legs and arms pinning his down. "If you don't stop talking about food I swear I'm gonna-"

"Jonesy, look!"

"I'm not falling for that!" Coraline said.

"No, really, look!" Wybie was staring behind her, eyes wide. A smile was plastered on his face and he licked his lips.

"I'm not looking." Coraline replied in a sing-song voice, before putting the venom back into her voice. "Now listen Why-were-you-"

"Jonesy! Look! Please?" Wybie's eyes softened. His friend shook her head, and Wybie blinked a couple times, making his green eyes big and watery.

"Pleaseee?" he whined, looking at her. He looked like a puppy with those eyes... and that cute expression...

"Gah! Fine!" Coraline yelled, getting off of him and watching as he scrambled over to where he was sitting before.

"Wowie..." she heard him whisper. She crawled over to him.

"What is it?"

"This!" Wybie cried, turning around and showing her what he had been staring at. Two cheeseburgers were sitting on the floor, steaming warm, along with two sets of fries, and two giant chocolate milkshakes. Wybie's face popped in front of hers, blocking her view of the mouth-watering meal.

"Isn't this awesome?" he exclaimed, grabbing on of the cheeseburgers and taking a giant bite out of it.

He closed his eyes and smiled as he chewed. "Mmm! Dish ish great!" he said with his mouth full.

Coraline gave him a disgusted expression. "Ew. Don't talk with your mouth full, Wybourne!" Wybie swallowed the mouthfull of food before replying.

"Sorry," he gave her a sheepish look. "You gotta try this though, Jonesy! It's delicious!" Wybie removed the top bun from the burger and grabbed the two pickle slices that sat underneath. He put the bun back on and popped the green things into his mouth, smiling and enjoying the taste.

Coraline shook her head, grabbing her own burger. She looked it over, checking for poisons or anything dangerous, and sniffed it. It smelled okay... and according to Wybie, it tasted okay... the way he was eating it, it was like he expected the thing to disappear. But you can never be to careful with food from the other world. With a slight hint of hesitation, Coraline bit into the cheeseburger and chewed it thoughtfully.

It tasted delicious, really. The burger was exactly the right temperature, the cheese was perfectly melted...

Wybie swallowed another bite and watched his friend's reaction. "Tasty, right?" he said happily, crossing his legs and grabbing one of the milkshakes.

"Yeah..." Coraline replied. "Wybie, how'd you find this?"

The boy looked up from slurping his shake. "Huh?"

"How'd you make this so fast?" the girl repeated, scooting closer to Wybie. "You did make it... Didn't you?"

"I-I didn't make it!" Wybie grabbed a handful of french fries. "I wished for it though."

"Yeah, I heard you wishing for it... Maybe... Maybe this place still has some magic left." She nibbled on her cheeseburger.

"Well, at least the food's good." Wybie said, taking another bite of his own burger. "And who knows what else we can get by wishing for it!"

"I think we should stick with wishing for food right now," Coraline informed him. "I mean, nothing good ever comes from wishing for stuff."

Wybie patted his stomach and smiled. "Besides a full stomach." he laughed.

Coraline laughed too. "Yeah, besides a full stomach."

* * *

After awhile, all that remained of the meal was a couple of french fries and two half-drunk milkshakes. The two friends were once again leaning on the wall with the door, staring into the blank world. To the two children, it was almost like watching the sun go down after a day of adventures together.

Wybie smacked his lips, which were still a little salty from the cheeseburger. "What time do you think it is back home?" he asked softly, placing his hands on his full stomach and turning his head towards Coraline. She did the same and sighed.

"I don't know, Wybie. It has to be late though, right? I mean, we got stuck here around dinnertime..."

Her friend nodded in agreement. "I don't get it, though..." he murmured, staring back into the never-ending whiteness. "I mean, if it isn't the other mother I've been hearing in my dr-... nightmares, then who is it?"

Coraline thought for a couple moments. "Well, it probably _was _her. Because she was starving, right? And, her body-" the girl stole a glance at the monster, who was still laying in the same position as when they entered the world."-her corpse isn't that... old. It's still kinda fresh."

"Ugh... Kinda makin' me wanna upchuck my burger now, Jonesy." Wybie smiled a little at her, a hint of playfulness in his voice.

Coraline raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh, really?" she said, sitting up on her bent legs.

"Yeah, really. And if I do puke, I'll make sure to aim for you." the boy's smile was wider now, more devilish.

"Huh... Well, if you _did _puke on me, I'd have to do _this_!"

In one big leap, Coraline had tackled Wybie to the ground for the second time that day. Wybie struggled to get her off of him, and squirmed even more when she began to tickle his stomach. He laughed, the sound echoing throughout the empty world.

"Are you gonna puke on me now, Wybourne?" Coraline teased, watching Wybie giggle and stutter and gasp for air.

"J-Jonesy, c-c-can't breath!" he laughed, kicking and squirming until she finally stopped her attack on him. He gripped her sides and lifted her skinny frame off of him, settling for laying spread eagle, still giggling and chuckling.

Coraline laughed and rolled onto her side, staring at him. His slightly-distended stomach rose and fell as he tried to catch his breath.

"Whew..." he breathed, putting his hands back onto his stomach and closing his eyes. "Y'know, I kinda like it here."

Coraline thought of something to say. "Me too..." she responded quietly.

"It... must be pretty late, right?" Wybie asked after a couple minutes, eyes still closed. Coraline shrugged, even if he couldn't see it.

"I think so... I'm getting a little tired."

"Same here. Can we wish up some sleeping bags?" Wybie cracked an eye open, watching his friend's reaction. "I-I mean, it'd be better than sleeping on the ground..."

Coraline closed her eyes and whispered something Wybie couldn't hear. All of a sudden, two sleeping bags appeared out of nowhere; one black, one a dark purple. The girl kicked off her sneakers, took off her raincoat, and crawled into the purple one.

"These good enough?" she asked.

"Yeah..."

Wybie yawned as he took off his jacket and shoes, slipping into the black sleeping bag. He rolled to his side, facing Coraline, and got comfortable. He smiled.

"G'night Jonesy." he said brightly, watching her get into a good position. She smiled back at him.

"G'night Wybourne." She closed her eyes, and heard Wybie moving around in his sleeping bag, trying to get into a more comfortable position for the night. After awhile, when everything was quiet, he whispered,

"G'night Caroline."

When he heard no reply from the girl beside him, he smiled and closed his eyes. But when he was on the verge of falling asleep, a hard fist made contact with his arm. While he yelped and rubbed it, he turned to look at Coraline, who was smiling.

"G'night... Jerkwad."

**

* * *

****Aren't they just awesome together? 8D**

**They make the perfect couple!**

**Hope you liked the chapter. :D**


	10. Behind the Breakdown

Coraline slowly opened her eyes, finding herself staring at a white ceiling. She blinked, confused for a moment, before remembering where she was. That's how she always started her day.

The Other-no, the _White _World. The Blank World. Another day in it. They'd been here for how long? Two days now? Three? Well, it seemed like forever.

She glanced to her side and saw Wybie. He had rolled onto his side in the night, only the back of his head visible. The rest of him was covered by the black sleeping bag, which moved up and down with each breath as he snored lightly.

Coraline took her eyes off the boy and stared into the great mass of the white world, wondering if anything was beyond the colorless place.

She had to know if, somehow, the world came to an end. A wall, something. Any way for her and Wybie to escape. Three days- or was it two?- was long enough in this Hell. The girl carefully sat up, stretching. She then stood, pulled on her tennis shoes, and walked over to the sleeping Wybie.

She kneeled down and hesitantly gripped his shoulder, shaking him a little. "Wybie..." she whispered softly above his snores. Everyday she'd been here, he was always the one to sleep in. And snore. For some reason, he didn't start to snore until the middle of the night. And he woke her up whenever he did.

The boy stirred a bit, groaning and cracking a sleepy eye open. "Hmm?" he muttered, turning his head around to look at her.

"I'm... I'm gonna go exploring for a little while, okay?" she asked, watching him slowly blink the sleep from his eyes.

"Mm... kay," Wybie slurred, rolling over again and going back to sleep. Coraline sighed and stood back up, wondering if her friend had actually heard what she said. She began to stroll off into the never ending white, with the feeling she was forgetting something,

"Oh!" Coraline turned back around to face him, suddenly remembering. "You're making breakfast today."

Another sleepy groan from Wybie. "Fine..." he mumbled, voice muffled as he buried his face into the sleeping bag, begging for sleep.

The girl shook her head slightly, and continued to walk until the white seemed to consume everything except her.

* * *

About half an hour later, Wybie yawned and stretched from his sleeping bag. Rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hand, he sat up, staring into the blankness of the world. He hated seeing that every morning when he woke up.

He longed to see the sun, lighting everything up. He longed to hear the rain pattering on the ceiling of his home while he watched Animal Planet on the old TV when his Grandmother wouldn't let him outside. Frowning, the boy crawled over to the small door, wedging his un-gloved hands between the nook and pulling with all his might. When it refused to budge, his frown deepened.

"C-come on!" he grunted, gritting his teeth and pulling harder. Finally, he fell back on his hands, staring at the door in dismay. Once again, the stubborn wooden thing held ts ground, refusing to let him out.

"Dang it..."

Sighing, Wybie got to his feet, now noticing the absence of his friend. "J-Jonesy?" he turned in a circle, searching for the blue-haired girl.

"Jonesy?" Wybie called louder, voice high and nervous. "Where'd she g... Ohh."

Realization dawned upon him and he immediately relaxed. "That's right, she went exploring..."

He then groaned. "That means I have to make breakfast..."

Wybie's mouth watered at the prospect of food. He didn't fancy the dinner Coraline had wished up last night, so he went to bed hungry.

"Wish up a breakfast... mkay... But what would Jonesy want?"

He placed his hands on his hips in thought. Suddenly, a small smile came to Wybie's lips. "I think I've got an idea..."

* * *

Coraline began to grow nervous as she traveled deeper and deeper into the old world. Nothing was out here anymore, no wire-like trees, no idea of direction.

This world was empty. Nothing was there anymore. Maybe she should turn back...

"Fascinating, isn't it?" a dry voice mused, breaking the silence and making the girl jerk in alarm. Once she composed herself, she glared down at the small cat that trotted beside her, smirking.

Coraline stomped her foot angrily. "Why'd you leave us here after the door shut? You could've gotten help!" she snapped, not surprised that the animal had just spoken to her.

The animal merely shrugged in the way that cats can do, and kept pace beside her. "You two seem to be surviving quite well here. There's only one way out, however." he answered.

Coraline's hazel eyes flashed. She took in her surroundings, which was nothing but white, and wondered if the feline was telling the truth. "How can we get out?"

"That most certainly is the question, isn't it?" The cat stopped and stretched its front legs forward, yawning. "The only way out is to find the key."

"The key?" Coraline sighed in frustration. Taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out, she responded, "The key's on the other side of the door. Can't you get it?"

The cat shook its head. "No, I would have already brought it here for you if I was capable." one of it's black ears twitched, and a growl rose deep in its throat.

"Even though she's gone, her spies still linger here," the animal replied, tail flipping back and forth in annoyance. "Be weary, Coraline. Not all of her is gone yet."

That was it's final words before it pounced into the white nothingness, leaving her alone once again.

* * *

Coraline pondered on the black cat's words and followed the smell of bacon back to where Wybie was. What she saw made her make a sound between a huff and a laugh.

Wybie was sitting at a long, shiny wooden table- a wished up table, no doubt- and had his plate piled high with a stack of pancakes. On the table lay every breakfast anyone could imagine: omelets, scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, pancakes, hash browns, cereal, and any other things you could think of.

Wybie turned his head towards her as she approached and gave a tiny smile, mouth full of pancakes. After he swallowed, he swept his hand over and gestured to all of the food. "G'morning, Jonesy!" he said as she sat down.

"I didn't really know what you wanted for breakfast, so... Just take your pick." he shrugged and stabbed another pancake piece with his fork.

"Good... morning..." Coraline replied, looking at all the breakfast items. "Jeez, Wybie. This... This is a whole lot of food."

"Uh huh." the boy replied, grabbing the glass of orange juice next to him and taking a sip. "Like I said, grab whatever you're hungry for. I'm almost done anyway."

"Wait," Coraline grabbed the plate with an omelet and a nearby fork. She looked at Wybie. "We're just gonna waste all of this food?"

Wybie shrugged again and cut up another pancake. "We can't really give it to the homeless... You were gone a long time, though."

She couldn't tell how long she was gone, but it must've been awhile, considering how Wybie was already halfway done eating. The girl dug her fork into the yellow omelet.

"I was looking for a way out," she told him. "And I talked with the cat, too."

Wybie's eyebrows rose. "Really? What'd he say? Does he know how to get out of here?" he asked excitedly. Coraline could tell he was homesick. Sometimes at night she could hear him whispering to himself. He'd say goodnight to his Grandmother, even though she couldn't hear him. It made her feel sorry that she'd forced him into this mess.

She sighed. "He said we need to get the key. But it's still behind the door." Coraline watched as Wybie physically deflated, shoulders slumping. His green eyes stared down at the half-eaten stack of pancakes.

"Wybie... I hate to say it, but we're stuck here." she said softly, watching Wybie's frown deepen. He slowly stood up, and rubbed the sleeve of his pajamas over his eyes.

"I... I've lost my appetite..." he mumbled quietly, turning from her.

"I wish for a... room." the boy whispered, and when the small box-shaped thing appeared, he walked over to the door, stepped inside, and Coraline could hear the click of the lock.

"Oh, Wybie..."

* * *

Wybie... Are you alright?" Coraline asked, and once again knocked on the door to the simple room. The edges were white, but apparently, Wybie could stay in there for what felt like three hours. It probably was three hours too, if time existed here.

"Wybie... Please come out. Or at least let me in." she pleaded. He may be a chatterbox, a nerd, a dork, and a stalker, but if he was anything, he was her friend. And in this situation, they were all they had. She was about to begin banging on the door again when a small click was heard.

Coraline cautiously poked her head inside. "Wybie?"

"C-Come in..." she heard him sniffle. Was he crying? What had she said to upset him? She felt horrible.

She hesitantly stepped inside, leaving the door cracked just in case, and saw that the small room was actually a duplicate of Wybie's real room at home.

There was his bed, his television, his closet, everything that was in his old room. Wybie was now dressed in his jacket and blue jeans, and his head was lowered so she couldn't see his face. He was sitting cross-legged on the bed. Coraline walked over to him.

"Hey Jonesy..." Wybie murmured, wiping a hand over his nose. The girl frowned and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Are you alright?" she asked gently. Wybie bobbed his head up and down, curls bouncing, still hiding his face from view.

"You sure don't sound like it." the girl scooted closer. "Tell me what's wrong."

"W-we're never getting out of here... are we?" His voice shook, unlike his usual cheery tone. Coraline bit her lip. Wybie had always been the optimist. He alwys saw the upside in things. But now...

Coraline took a deep breath and pulled the miserable boy into a hug. Wybie gratefully wrapped his arms around her, and she could feel him trembling. With fright or sobs, she couldn't tell.

"I-I... I wanna go home." he rested his head on her shoulder and she slowly rocked him back and forth, not knowing what else to do. She'd never had a friend as dear to her as Wybie. And seeing him like this felt like a stab in the heart.

"Shh, Wybie, shh... It'll all be okay... somehow." she whispered in reply, trying to calm her friend. It didn't convince her as much as it did him. How they'd get out of this empty place, she didn't know. Wybie did not know either. She always had the plans. She always had the ideas.

The fact that they could die in this place had hit him as soon as she told him that the key was lost in the real world. It was like a slap to the face of reality. And now, as he took deep breaths trying to calm himself, he couldn't help but whispering, "I miss Grandma."

Coraline rubbed her friend's back soothingly. She would never cry in front of anyone, especially Wybie, but even now, she was on the verge of tears. She'd never seen Wybie like this. He seemed to be calming down though, but when she tried to pull away he squeezed her tighter.

"D-don't let go yet... Please." he sniffled, and she allowed him to hug her until he pulled away, green eyes red from crying. He rubbed them.

"S-sorry," he stuttered. "Dunno w-why I just... b-broke down like that..."

Coraline smiled softly. "It's okay Wybie. I promise we'll find a way out."

Wybie looked up at her. "P-promise?" he asked gently. She nodded.

"Promise."

* * *

"Can we please wish up a house?"

"Why?"

"So we have a decent place to sleep," Wybie stretched. "By back's killing me from that stupid sleeping bag."

"Ughh." Coraline rolled her eyes. Her back hurt too, but she wasn't going to complain. "What kind of house?"

"What about a castle?" Wybie exclaimed.

Coraline brightened at this. Any child's dream was to live in a castle. "Okay, a castle. With... two bedrooms, two bathrooms," she counted on her fingers. "a kitchen, a living room, a dining room, and..."

"A slug room?"

"...A slug room?" The girl raised a thin eyebrow.

"Yeah!"

"No."

"Aww..." Wybie pouted.

"Shut it. Okay..." Coraline took a deep breath. "I wish for a castle with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a dining room, and a living room."

The kids jumped back as a giant stone-and-marble castle appeared out of nowhere. It wasn't the creepy kind of castle. It was a beautiful one.

The two children looked at each other, before running inside.

* * *

"Mmm... nice spaghetti Jonesy." Wybie complimented as he twirled more noodles around on his fork. "Can't believe that you made it yourself."

"Well, since we have a kitchen now, I figured we don't have to wish for stuff." Coraline replied, taking a bite of her own food. They were sitting at the long dining table, a giant golden chandelier hanging from the ceilingand providing light for the two as they ate their dinner.

"Well, you're a really good cook." Wybie smiled. "I can cook too, y'know."

"You can?" Coraline's eyes widened and she gave him an unsure look.

"Yup. It's easy! I know how to make cake, mac n' cheese, mashed potatoes..." he shrugged.

"Huhh..." Coraline took another bite of your food, and the only sound was forks clinking against plates.

How long do you think we've been here?" Wybie asked, breaking the sudden silence. Coraline looked up into his curious eyes.

"I dunno." she honestly replied. "I'm thinking about four days."

"F-four days isn't really that bad..." the boy mused. "But we really should take advantage of this whole wishing thing."

"How?" Coraline stopped eating and stared at her friend. A sly smile spread across his face, and he cocked an eyebrow.

"I've got a few ideas..."

**

* * *

****Very very long chapter. o.o**

**I just don't want my stories to have like, twenty chapters. But, oh well. The more Coraline, the better! **

**Wybie does have some ideas for what they can wish up, and boy are they good ones. :D**


	11. Movie Nights and Bad Dreams

"Okay... Just a few more feet... Aannd... You can look now!" Wybie slowly uncovered Coraline's eyes with his un-gloved hand and smiled proudly as she gasped at the sight of what her friend had made.

The usually blank white that covered the ceiling of the world was now a dark blue blanket of stars, twinkling and shining. It was almost like a regular summer night, despite the fact that there was a large white moon in the middle.

The next thing that caught her eye was the giant flat movie screen that loomed over the two, blank right now, but Coraline had a feeling that it would soon have a movie playing on it.

It was as large as a drive-in movie screen, and Coraline watched her friend walk over to two large beanbag chairs that sat in front of the giant tarp. He sunk down in the first one, and patted the one next to him, smiling in the moonlight.

Coraline joined him and noticed a giant bucket of popcorn separated the two. She glanced over at Wybie, who had a soda in his hands, and then realized there was one sitting right next to her.

"Wybie... How'd you do all this?"

The boy smiled, snapped his fingers, and a bucket of everything from M&Ms to Milk duds sat beside the popcorn.

"I'm taking advantage of the wishing thing. So, it's a movie night."

Coraline shifted her eyes towards the movie screen. "And, what are we gonna watch?"

"Now _that's _a good question," Wybie tapped his bottom lip with the tips of his fingers in thought. "I was thinking a bunch of sci-fi or B-movies. But, whatever you want to watch is fine with me."

"We could always watch **Jaws. **And **E.T.**..."

"Okay!" And with that, the two children began to spend their night full of movies. At one point, they both reached for the popcorn, their fingers sweeping over each other's, brushing with warmth, before Wybie pulled back, blushing. Coraline grabbed a handful, trying to hide her own blush.

They both were hesitant to reach for the popcorn after that.

* * *

After almost three hours of man-eating sharks and extra-terrestrials, the two began to slump farther into their bean-bag chairs.

The popcorn had already been demolished, only a few popped curnals left, and the sodas were long gone. Wybie just sat in the comfortable chair, head resting on his fist, half asleep. The wished-up stars in the sky were adding to his sleepiness, making it seem like it was really nighttime.

Coraline gave her friend a gentle smile, ready to go to bed as well. Breaking the silence, she asked softly, "So, time for bed?"

Wybie jerked upright, startled by Coraline's words. He then sighed, relaxing again. "Y-yeah... Time for bed." he mumbled, standing up and stretching. She did the same, and led the way into the castle.

The castle was large, to say the least. It was beautiful on the inside, with scarlet carpeting and bedrooms fit for kings and queens. But right now any bedroom sounded god for Wybie. As long as it had a bed.

Wybie smiled when he came to his bedroom door. He turned to face his friend. "Goodnight, Jonesy."

She returned the smile and opened her own door. "G'night, Wybie. Sweet dreams."

With a small wave, the boy padded into his room, and fell into bed after changing into his nightclothes.

* * *

A hand made of needles. Bright, sharp, dangerous needles that could tear flesh open with one fast swipe. That's why Wybourne Lovat had three horizontal scars from his knuckles to the tip of his wrist on his right hand.

The boy turned over in his sleep, memories feeding off of his mind and creating a nightmare.

_The thing was dragging his best friend off, he had to do something. And fast._

_But all too soon did he find himself dangling at the edge of the well. The starts above him sparkled, alarmingly calming in the situation the two faced._

_In one fluid motion, the hand was above him, dominant despite its size. It swiped at his hand swiftly, sending him flying down into the well._

_Down._

_Farther and farther until..._

"AHHH!" Wybie's piercing scream cut through the darkness of his bedroom as he sat up gasping for air.

The trembling boy wrapped his arms around himself, doing his best to try and comfort him. It didn't help, however. He could feel the cold sweat on his legs and neck.

_That was the most terrifying dream I've ever had... _

Still jumpy from the nightmare, Wybie shivered, feeling goosebumps pop up on his arms. Laying back down and pulling the blanket over his lap, he tried to go back to sleep. His heart still pounded though, and his sudden paranoia urged him to turn on the bedroom light.

_Just... think of banana slugs... or cupcakes... _

The thoughts didn't soothe him, though. They only managed to make things worse. And make him crave a midnight snack. Sighing, the boy sat up and ran a hand down his face, rubbing his eyes. It was only a nightmare. The real hand was gone.

Right?

He stood up, and quietly made his way to the door of his bedroom and across the hall towards Coraline's.

He was thankful that her door was miraculously unlocked, and silently pushed it open, tip-toeing inside. Wybie snuck over to his friend's bed, and hesitantly touched her shoulder. "J-Jonesy...?" he asked, whispering like a frightened child. Coraline did not stir.

"Jonesy...?" Wybie whimpered again, voice high and nervous. The blue-haired girl opened her eyes this time, and saw her shaking friend.

"Wybie...?" she yawned. "What's wrong?"

"I-I-I had a-a nightmare..." the boy replied, his eyes sad and pleading. "D-do... do you think I can stay in here for awhile? P-please?"

Coraline's face softened; he seemed really shaken up, but she refrained from asking him about it. For now, anyway. asking him would only get his nerves spiraling up again. "Sure." she sat up, and silently pulled the boy into a comforting hug. Wybie wrapped his arms around her back, sighing in content. With Coraline here, nothing could harm him. The hand wouldn't dare wiggle its way into his dreams with Coraline around.

"Thanks, Coraline." he murmured, and laid down next to her awkwardly. She pulled the blanket over them, giving Wybie enough for warmth, and reached for his hand under the covers. It was sweating a bit, and twitched slightly as she held it, but soon after, Wybie scooted closer to her, memories of the bad dream gone.

Coraline smiled, and finally dozed off. It took Wybie a little bit longer to calm down enough for sleep, but soon after Coraline, he also fell into unconsciousness. And a dreamland full of cupcakes.

He knew he should've gotten a midnight snack.

* * *

Coraline woke up in a great mood the next morning. Despite being here five-or was it... four?- days, and the fact that Wybie had raided the covers of her bed in the night, she felt full of energy. She decided to let Wybie sleep a little longer, as she saw him breathing evenly and gently next to her in bed.

She carefully slid out of bed without waking her friend, and walked outside into the hallway. Coraline turned around, watching as Wybie mumbled in his sleep, shifting a bit.

"Mph... cupcakes..." he murmured.

The blue-haired girl smiled gently, shutting the door quietly behind her.

* * *

Now, she was in the kitchen, preparing a breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon. She'd walk up and wake Wybie if he was still asleep by the time it was finished. She didn't want his breakfast to get cold, and he seemed to be hungry, with all the talk of cupcakes in his sleep. She even pondered about making him a special cupcake for breakfast, but the only thing that it would accomplish would be making Wybie hyper.

However, just when Coraline had set the two plates of food on the dining table, a sleepy Wybie came treading down the stairs, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

"Good morning..." he greeted, taking a seat at the table and staring at his breakfast, licking his lips. He tried his best to keep his stomach from growling.

"Morning, Lovat." she replied, sitting herself across from him. "How'd you sleep?"

"Great, actually," Wybie began to dig into his breakfast. "Better than I thought I would."

Coraline nodded silently. Anything that could shake her friend up like that had to be serious. Maybe. She gave him a look. "What was your nightmare about, this time?"

The boy shifted uncomfortably in his chair, swallowing a mouthful of food before replying. "T-the hand..." he said sheepishly.

Coraline raised an eyebrow. Just the hand? That wasn't the worst nightmare anybody could have. "Just the hand? Really?"

Wybie nodded, studying his friend's look. She didn't seem to concerned for him. In fact, she seemed kind of smug...

"Yeah... It really shook me up last night."

"How? It's just a hand, Wybie. I've been through things that would make you faint."

The boy's eyes narrowed a fraction. "Oh, is that right? I've had nightmares that would make you scream, Jonesy."

Coraline leaned over the table a bit, as if daring him to reply to her comment. "Aw, is the wittle Wybourne scared of the wittle hand?" she mocked, tapping his nose as the corner of her mouth pulled into a smirk. Wybie swatted her hand away.

"Shut up, _Caroline_." he spat. "You think you're so special, don't you? You think, just because you killed an evil witch, me and the cat are supposed to bow down and thank you over and over again?"

"No, _Wybourne, _I expect you to be grateful that I freed your great aunt from that prison!" Coraline's tone changed now, from friendly to venomous, an Wybie wasn't intimidated.

"Well, what'd I get when I saved you from the hand, huh? Nothing! Not even a 'thanks, Wybie'. You're a selfish brat, Coraline."

"Excuse me?" the girl asked, shocked by Wybie's harsh tone of voice. "I am_ not _selfish!" she sat up straighter in her chair, towering over the hunched-down boy. However, his glare didn't waver.

"You are selfish! You take everything in your life for granted! Your parents, even _me!"_ Wybie sat up as well, folding his arms.

"How do I take advantage of you? I don't because, you know what?" she smirked, knowing full well that her next words would hurt. "You're just somebody to talk to. Listening to your babbling helps me fight boredom away."

Wybie took a sharp breath, and his glare momentarily fell, replaced by a look of hurt. The way he stared at Coraline mad her feel ashamed on the inside, but there was no way she was going to let him see.

When Wybie didn't say anything, she continued. "And it's not my fault your parents are dead, Why-were-you-born. It's not like I was the one driving that car."

The boy's facade faded completely, and he tried his best to hide his tears as he stood up. "C-Coraline..." he whispered, staring into his friend's eyes. He saw no compassion.

He saw pride. Was she proud of what she had just said to him.

Wybie slowly scooted the chair back into the table. "Coraline..." he repeated, voice high and trembling. "You... I... I don't want to talk to you anymore. I hate you!"

With that, Wybie shot up the stairs, slammed the door to his bedroom, and screamed into his pillow, leaving Coraline alone, shocked and most of all:

Ashamed.

"What have I done...?" she asked herself.

**

* * *

****FINALLY. It's finished! YAAYY.**

**...Well, this chapter's finished. Not the story. Hope you liked it! :D**

**Btw, I only added Wybie's dream of cupcakes in there because I'm craving cupcakes at 12:00 in the morning. x3**


	12. Day One

_W-why would she say something like that...?_

_She knows how much I've tried to be her friend..._

_I shouldn't have told her I hated her... She deserved it though..._

_What am I saying? No she didn't! _

"Ughh..." Wybie mumbled into his pillow. The thoughts had been swirling around his head for all of yesterday, and most of today. He'd staid in his room, refusing to come out, and wished up meals for himself instead of going downstairs to the kitchen.

He was inwardly struggling to forgive his friend or wait until she apologized first. They were both stubborn, refusing to go themselves and see who would finally crack and go first.

_Should I really go and just end it...? Maybe if I apologize, she'll forgive me..._

Wybie sighed, burying his face into the pillow.

_I didn't mean to say I hated her... It just kinda... slipped out! _

The boy rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling.

_I feel so guilty! It's tearing me apart! _

"UGHHH." Wybie exclaimed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "This can't go on much longer." he mumbled.

* * *

The boy didn't come out of his room all day, spending his time with his face in the pillow, eventually dozing off in the sightly-uncomfortable position. Despite all of the other thoughts swirling around his head, another nightmare dawned in his subconscious.

_

* * *

__Have to save Coraline. No matter what. I don't care what's going to happen, now. It would have happened anyway._

_These thoughts ran through his mind as he kneeled next to the door by the blue-haired girl he had grown attached to through the few days she had come. The tunnel rattled, and menacing footsteps came from the stairs._

_She gripped his jet black sleeves, shaking him from his daze. "C'mon, she'll hurt you again." her eyes said it all. _

_He gave her a look of surprise; after all she had been through today, she still thought he was more than a puppet destined to destroy her in the end. He shook his head sadly, and pulled off his patternless glove. _

_There was sand there, he had been stuffed with it from the start. She would not bother fixing him, so he blew the dust away with a breath, and saw Coraline's look of horror. _

_Before she could respond, however, the Beldam's threatening voice sounded again, and he jerked into fight-or-flight mode. _

_Curling his remaining hand in grief, Wybie pushed her through the door, and closed it before she could object further. She didn't want to put her through more than what she had already had. _

_He stared at the closed door to the real world, and hoped that she would be smart enough to stay away forever, until five claw-like needle hands dug into his brown curls, and began to drag him away to his death without a word._

* * *

"NO!" Wybie jerked from unconsciousness, head shooting up above the drool-covered pillow. He choked on his own spit, sputtering, chest heaving.

"N-n... J-Jon... Jonesy..." Wybie mumbled. He choked back a hiccuping sob, and began to tremble.

This place was where it all happened. The Other World. Where they were trapped now. Maybe it happened right at this very spot. Where the Other Mother had killed the other version of him.

The thoughts were far from comforting, and he began to hyperventilate, breath coming in short, sharp gasps. Was he having panic attack? It felt like something more.

"C-Cor... Cora..." he breathed. Wait- was he having an asthma attack? Wybie paled as his lungs constricted once more, making it harder to breath. Oh, goodness, he _was _having an asthma attack.

He had had asthma since he was five; obtaining it from "excessive running about" his grandmother called it. However, she always made sure he had his inhaler with him until he was ten, when he hadn't had an asthma attack in a year, and therefore didn't seem to need it.

But now he was having one. And his inhaler was nowhere to be found.

Wybie stumbled to his feet and scrambled to open the locked door to his room. He had to get to Coraline; she would help him. She had to. Or else...

Wybie managed to make it out into the dark hallway panicked olive eyes darting around, only to collapse on the floor. He knew nothing more after that.

* * *

For some reason, Coraline woke up from an uneasy sleep in a fit of cold sweat. What she had been dreaming about was a mystery, and she thought a cup of hot cocoa would help her feel better. The only thing she knew about her dream was that it had something to do with the Other Wybie.

The girl rose from the bed and stretched. She felt the urge to hurry, for some reason, and the sweat on her body turned to ice as scampered to the door to her room, opening it and practically jumping outside-

Only to find her sickly pale friend laying, unmoving, on the floor.

"Wybie!" Coraline screamed, automatically kneeling beside him. She turned him onto his back gently, and placed his head gently in her lap. The boy was only semi-conscious, but he could still make out the blurry shape of his friend.

"Cora..line..." he gasped. She shushed him quickly, placing her slender hand on his forehead, as if checking for some kind of fever. He felt fragile, like if she touched the wrong spot, he'd crumble to pieces before her amber-colored eyes.

"D-don't talk, Wybie. I-I'll... what should I do?" she asked desperately. Wybie tried to take a deep breath. He looked fearful, but his eyes met hers, radiating calm, despite the situation. It was important to stay calm, but who could when their friend is practically suffocating?

"I-in... inhaler." he murmured faintly. "I-I need it..."

Coraline immediately wished up the weird device, and shoved it into her friend's shaking hand, not knowing what else to do. She wrapped her fingers around his, slowly sitting him up as he brought the tip to his lips and breathed in, then out. Eventually, his breathing became more and more steady, but his pale pallor was too far off from his usual complexion.

Coraline had begun to gently stroke Wybie's curls, trying her best to be of some help to him. She was no doctor, and she definitely didn't know anything about asthma. Wybie had never told her that he even had it.

That jerkwad.

Taking a deep and shaky breath,Wybie let the inhaler drop from his hand as he lowered it from his mouth. He looked bleary-eyed at Coraline.

"I... feel better now..." he said, heaving a deep sigh and leaning his head into her shoulder. He was immediately unconscious. Coraline sighed in relief, and wrapped her arms around Wybie's back, hoisting him up into a standing position. She half-carried, half-piggy-backed him down into the living room, and laid him down on the sofa. Wybie was breathing fine now, deep and light. Completely normal.

After wishing up a soft blanket and draping it over the boy, Coraline wandered into the kitchen, beginning to prepare two cups of hot chocolate. It'd make him feel better for sure.

* * *

"You up yet, Wybie...?"

The brunette moaned a little, and shifted on something soft. It most definitely wasn't the hard floor he had collapsed on. He did not want to get up yet, though. He was so warm and comfy. It was still dark out too...

He heard the slightly-fuzzy sigh of his friend, and finally forced his eyes open halfway. She was blurry, but he knew who it was.

"C-Coral..." he murmured, voice hoarse. His throat felt unusually dry, and he swallowed.

"Shh, Wybie. It's okay. I'm here. Drink this." The boy suddenly felt something warm slowly flowing into his mouth. It tasted like warm chocolate, and he smiled.

"Mmm..."

Coraline giggled. "How are you feeling?" she asked as Wybie propped himself up and an elbow, rubbing his eyes with the other. The sick, milky color of his skin had drained away, and his now cinnamon-colored, healthy complexion only added to her relief.

"Alright... Other than a headache, I'm fine." he gingerly took the mug Coraline held out for him, and began to sip it cautiously. Thee was silence for a while; they both knew what neeed to be said, but did no know who was the right onto apologize first, so Wybie took the opportunity.

"I-I'm really sorry about... everything." Wybie said, looking Coraline straight in her dark hazel eyes, lowering the mug from his lips.

"I am too..." The girl looked down, unable to meet his eyes.

"I know you didn't mean to say what you said... and I know I didn't mean what I said..." Wybie gave her a tired look. He wasn't out of it, per say, just... tired of all the fighting. They needed each other here, and there was nothing worth fighting about. The boy's eyes shifted to look around the room, picking at the soft fabric of he blanket on his lap before Coraline spoke.

"So... friends?" Coraline asked hesitantly. She was actually nervous at what Wybie's reaction would be. Could he really forgive her? After all she put him through- here, and the real world... His warm, shy-eyed grin told her that he could. No matter what, they were stuck like glue together. nothing would ever change that.

"Friends." Wybie concluded, holding up his mug of hot chocolate. Coraline clanked hers against his and they locked eyes for a moment before going back to gulping down their drink.

That was day one in Para.

**

* * *

**

**...Kinda suckish chap. I re-wrote it about... hmmm... three times? I'm in the process of re-writing the Lovely Buttons' next chapter too, because I don't like it. :\**

**How about that, huh? The Other World now being called Para?**

**Some people may know where I got the short word for it... It's not Paradise, though.**

**Can you guess? :D**


	13. Connected

_Day Two in Para._

There was a strange feeling in the air; neither Coraline nor Wybie could put their fingers on what it was. It was more of an uneasy feeling, a sense of danger. But what was there to fear?

As time passed, the two finally decided to mark down how many days they had been there, like a calender.

Today was the second marked-down day in Para.

Wybie nibbled on his breakfast, the odd feeling in his stomach causing a certain drop in his appetite. Coraline was the same way, only half of her food had been eaten, Wybie's even less.

"W-what's that... feeling?" he finally mustered up the voice to address it. They both knew that each other sensed it, and it was about time someone spoke up. Something had to be done.

Coraline shook her head unknowingly, brunette-blue layered hair swishing back and forth. She had abandoned all tries of getting Wybie to help her re-dye it, it only ended with stained hands. He was better at tending to motorbikes, not hair.

"I'm... not sure, Wybie. I don't think it's good, though."

The brunette swallowed thickly, pushing his plate of food away. "I'm not really in the mood to eat." he mumbled, resting his head on the table in folded arms. There were more lines under his olive-green eyes, making him look sickly. The nightmares had began to flare up again, for an unknown reason. Even warm milk did not help soothe him.

The only thing that chased the dreams away was nights spent sleeping next to his best friend in her bed.

"You look a... little pale." Coraline observed. "Do you need your inhaler again?"

"Nah... I'm just feeling homesick, I guess." he heaved a sigh, wishing the strange feeling would go away.

"Literally homesick, huh?" she replied, and Wybie nodded sadly.

"I wanna see Grandma... I miss..." Suddenly, he stood up, eyes blanking out into space. Coraline arched an eyebrow curiously. Had he finally snapped? She stared in awe as he began to walk towards the front door of their "home".

"Wybie?" Coraline asked uncertainly. When he didn't stop, or even pause to glance back at her, she knew something was definitely wrong with him. She jumped out of her seat and ran to her friend's side as he padded outside, and to the door. _The _door. Where the real world was.

Coraline kneeled beside the slightly-dazed boy, and touched his shoulder when he simply blinked dizzily, tracing the door's scratch marks from the Beldam with his fingers. Coraline knew what was coming next. He was doing it again...

"Wybie, you've tried this a million times, it won't..."

Wybie latched his fingers between the crevice of the door, and with a swift tug, it finally swung open as if the wind from a storm blew the shutters of a lonely cottage against the window.

"...Open."

It was open, gaping even. Wybie stared into the tunnel with the same, empty expression before jerking into reality, unaware that he had just opened the gateway to their freedom. His yellow-green eyes dilated and a strangled gasp escaped his throat.

"It's open!"

He felt like screaming in joy. They were free! Finally! And it was only the second marked day! Wybie took no time in shoving himself through the now dark blue-emerald sparkling tunnel. Why it now looked ready to lead someone to their death, they did not know, nor care.

As long as they got out.

Wybie half-crawled, half-stumbled to the other side. He gently prodded the new door at the other end with a curious gloved finger, before leaning up against it and pushing with his shoulder. It swung open with no problem at all.

Strange.

"Curiouser and curiouser..." Wybie murmured, slowly standing up and circling the old drawing room he had come to know all too well. Coraline followed, only for a moment, noticing that the strange feeling began to get worse, almost nauseating. It wasn't long before Wybie doubled over, clutching his stomach. A moan escaped his lips.

"Urg... I don't feel so good..." he swallowed, sweat beading on his neck. The feeling suddenly increased, and it took all the strength he had not to retch on the floor. His stomach seemed to twist and writhe in a knot, and his vision swam. But he still managed to hold up his head and stare outside of the room's only window longingly.

They were free, what was holding him back from running home to his Grandmother? Something wasn't right. "W-what's wrong...?" he breathed.

Coraline strayed back into the tunnel, feeling just as bad as Wybie, and the feeling instantly deserted her.

What?

She experimentally stepped back into the old drawing room, and felt her stomach lurch again. One hand flew to her mouth, while the other grabbed the end of Wybie's coat and dragged him back into the tunnel. He gasped, and swallowed back the vinegary taste in his mouth. He turned to her, face slightly green.

"W...wh...?" he stared at his friend, and then back outside. "J-Jonesy... what happened?"

Coraline shook her head, a deep frown on her face. "I think we're somehow...attached to the world, now..." she answered. "I don't think... I don't think we can go back."

"..."

Wybie choked, a hiccuping sob making him fall back onto his elbows, still staring at their immediate freedom, face a mixture of despair and sadness. He knew it was too good to be true. The doors had opened so easily, and it was so open... But it felt so... wrong, to be there. Where they belonged. What happened?

The same question was on both of their minds as Coraline gingerly squeezed Wybie's shoulder, reached for the handle of the door to the real world, and closed it. Wybie buried his face in her arm, turning around to embrace her.

They were so _close. _So close...

"Come on," she said softly, stroking the boy's curls. "We have to go back."

Wybie did not say anything, but obliged, crawling slowly back to the Other World, or Para, now. The white almost blinded him, but after a few blinks it was familiar, and he moved over to lean against the wall, drawing his knees up to his chest.

_So close..._

Coraline looked through the puffy tunnel, eyes narrowing for a moment as a flare of anger riled up inside of her. _What? Did you just do that to hurt him further? He's already depressed enough, don't you think?_

And with that, she slammed the door as hard as she could into the wall. She hoped it never opened back up. Good riddance. This world was much better anyway...

She prodded over to her friend and sought out his hands, linking it with hers. She squeezed comfortingly; he did not. His hand was limp, dead. She glanced at his face, and his expression made her heart drop.

He looked beaten. Defeated. Exhausted, even.

He just sat, slumped would be a better word, on the side of the wall, droopy eyes looking out into space. She tried to hug him, but he turned away.

"Wybie... I know it's hard but... We'll get through it somehow."

"No." his voice was as cold as ice, cruel. Coraline actually gasped silently.

"We aren't getting out, Jonesy. We're going to die here. Just like _her. _It makes perfect sense." Wybie laughed humorlessly. "It was her plan all along. We're too used to the magic."

Coraline did not reply. He was one hundred percent right. They must have gotten so used to the world, that they were somehow connected to it, entwined. Wrapped up in a Hell on Earth.

Well, crap.

"What do we do, then...?" she asked finally. Wybie huffed and shrugged.

"Whatever we want. It's a magic world, remember?"

"Can't you take anything of this seriously?" the girl exclaimed, standing up and looming over him. For once, he saw just how... sad she looked. Stressed. Her hair- brownish blue- was tangled and her hazel eyes held no determination. She looked beaten as well. They both were derived of hope.

"What do you mean?" he countered, standing up nimbly.

"I mean, can't you do anything that doesn't make you look stupid?" she swiftly punched him in the arm. Wybie staggered back a few steps; Coraline hadn't punched him since their first night here. It only made anger flare up in him.

"What's your problem, Caroline?" he growled. "A little homesick?"

"Shut up!"

"Make me!"

"I will!"

"Then, do it!"

"I said _shut up_!" the girl grabbed her friend by the neck of his jacket, like a bully getting ready to slam the unforgiving child into the side of the lockers. Wybie's eyes softened suddenly, and Coraline could see the fear evident in them. She could feel him actually beginning to tremble.

He looked just like...

The Other Wybie.

For a moment, her mind went back to the time he had just pulled her free from the mirror, and when she had pulled off the chicken oven mitt...

He looked so scared.

Her mind flew back to reality, to the real Wybourne. His lip was shaking as well, like he couldn't believe his best friend was about to beat him up. Coraline's own eyes drained of the anger and frustration they held, and she pulled Wybie into a hug, sinking down on the ground.

At first, the boy did not know how to respond. One moment, he was about to be pummeled, and the next, he was in her soft arms. After a couple seconds, he tension faded and he relaxed into her embrace, nestling his head into her shoulder.

"W-Wybie... I'm so sorry." she was almost sobbing, and he couldn't see them, but he knew there was tears.

"Shh, Jonesy... It'll be okay. It's alright..." he rubbed her back hesitantly. They did not know how long they stayed like that, in each others arms. It happened all of the time here. This world had taken control of their emotions, scrambled them even. They were too stressed.

"Are you done?" came a voice that was, most definitely, not either of the children's. They both jumped apart and stared at the bearer of the voice.

And there, in deep contrast to the whiteness of the floor and the rest of the world, sat a demon black animal, who casually cleaned its paw. Both kids just stared, and eventually, it looked up with its blue eyes.

"Are you sure?" the cat questioned again. Coraline and Wybie both blinked, then nodded in unison. The cat seemed to smirk.

"Good. Have you learned your lesson?"

"W-what lesson?" Wybie said, finally finding his voice. The cat arched its back and stretched.

"Some doors," he said in his silk-like voice. "Should never be opened. Have you both learned that?" They each nodded again.

"Good," it repeated. "Then I shall help you."

"H-help us with what...?" Coraline said.

"Ween off of the magic, of course."

There was silence throughout the Other World.

"...Huh?" Wybie raised an eyebrow.

The animal sighed. "I watched you both, when you attempted to flee from this world. Did you really think it was going to be that easy?"

"W-well..." Wybie blushed a bit, looking guilty.

"No. It's never easy. You are both part of this world now. You control it. Just like _her._" its tail flicked towards the body of the witch, who still laid unmoving.

"She could not get into the real world, because she did not belong there," the cat continued. "and now, neither do you."

"But... we have to go home!" Wybie protested. "We... we have to."

"And that's why I am here now. To help untangle you from this world's grip."

"To... set us free?" Coraline said. "Just like the ghost children?"

"Precisely. You are smart and strong children. It should not hurt." the cat turned around and began to trot in the direction of the giant castle. Wybie and Coraline exchanged nervous glances, shrugged, and followed.

"First, however, we will have to get rid of this... home." he said. That's when the two knew they were going to go through one heck of a withdrawal.

**

* * *

****Special thanks to JoeEngland for for inspiring this chapter. :3**

**I mean, he has a point. Coraline and Wybie have been living off of magic for so long that they have become "connected" to the world. That's why the Other mother could never go to the real world. There was side-effects of trying, too. Nausea, dizziness, and extreme headaches. **

**Do not operate heavy machinery while attempting to escape from the little door in your drawing room. Serious injury may occur.**


	14. Caught

"A-are you crazy?"

"Not crazy. Merely... clever."

"Insane, then."

The three friends sat at the edge of the tunnel, looking out into the real world. They all knew what would happen when they went through, however. It wasn't going to be easy.

The cat sighed. "Do one of you plan on going soon? Or do you just want me to leave you to your weepings?"

Coraline huffed, crossed her arms, and gave Wybie a smirk. "I think he wants to go first." she said innocently. Wybie's eyes narrowed.

"Do not."

"Do too."

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

The feline just sat and listened to the children bicker. It sighed, and rolled its eyes. "Wybourne, just try."

"Humph." was the boy's reply as he slowly crawled out of the safety of the door. As soon as his foot hit the wooden floor of the Pink Palace, his stomach flip-flopped and he almost lurched forward. He glanced desperately at the cat and his friend, but the feline just flicked his tail.

"If you cannot take any more, step back in." he said, and Wybie practically hurdled himself into the tunnel, gasping. He was as pale as a ghost, and his eyes were small, afraid.

"U-Urg..." he mumbled, holding his head in his hands. Coraline crawled over to him, and laid her small hand onto his shoulder gently. He sighed, leaning into her touch.

"Your turn, Jonesy."

Coraline groaned, and shifted her eyes towards the cat, who waited expectantly. Giving him a glare, she took a deep breath, gathering her courage and strength. This wasn't therapy. Or rehab. It was torture.

And with that, she strode out into her home. Even though she was far from being able to stay there for good.

* * *

Wybie moaned in fright in his sleep, nightmares eating away mercilessly at his subconscious. They were starting to get worse again, flaring up every time he seemed to close his eyes. He was afraid to even go to sleep now.

Especially now.

The two friends had finally stopped using magic all together, even for food. At first, the cat had brought them dead rats, which they flat out refused to eat. After he sulked away to eat his own meal, he came back with berries from the forest, which they nibbled on halfheartedly. It still was not satisfying, however. Not as satisfying as the wished-up food had been.

But that was fake. The cat had told them that it was "artificial." It was not made, just wished up. And it only tasted extraordinary because they couldn't see how bad it really was.

They had begun to feel sick, as well. Mostly nausea, and major headaches, which constantly occupied the two. Wybie almost always turned a putrid shade of green if he tried to stand, so he poised himself on the floor, clutching his stomach and groaning while Coraline just sat stubbornly, glaring at the perfectly calm feline who accepted these side-effects as "normal".

"They will subside, eventually," he acknowledged on the first day, when Wybie had become a pale-oil green, keeping his hands locked to his mouth to prevent projectile vomit. He was not convinced.

Now, the two children were forced to dispose/wish away their castle, and their beds. The only thing Wybie had to sleep on was his folded up jacket as a pillow, and Coraline had the hard, white, blank floor. He had offered to share, but she simply stated that he needed more sleep than she did.

But the first night, neither of them had been able to rest. The withdrawal symptoms had been so strong that the next day, they had finally fallen unconscious by the sheer need of sleep. When they woke up, the side-effects were only worse.

So now, Coraline's eyes slowly opened as she heard Wybie's moans and she stared at the poor boy. He looked deathly pale, and small, wet beads of sweat were speckled on his forehead. He was restless, twisting and jerking away from some unknown foe.

The young girl sat up, squinting in the darkness of the world. For some reason, whenever the two said it was time for bed, the whole area would grow dimmer and dimmer until it was pitch black. It was like it wanted to swallow them up, keep them forever.

"Wybie..." she said cautiously. He just gasped, face contorting in a mixture of anxiety and fear. He needed to be woken up. Now.

"N-no... splerrkk.."

Coraline raised a thin eyebrow, and silently crawled over to him, gripping his bare arm. "Wake up, Wybie. Come on..."

The simple touch was all he needed. Wybie shot up, the bad dream cracking like glass, and the pieces being swept up by reality. The worried face of Coraline was suddenly in front of him, and he sighed heavily, running a hand down his aching head.

"S-sorry... Bad dream." he murmured, and attempted to get free of her grip. She only tightened it. Uncomfortably.

"Another one?" said Coraline. Wybourne nodded sadly, eyes full of exhaustion. He needed sleep, and the Other Mother should not have been invading his dreams again. She was _dead. For sure._

"Are you going to be alright? Want some water?" she said, and he tilted his head at her.

"W-water...? From where?"

Coraline gave him that look- that look she always gave him when she was up to something he definitely would not approve of. And when a small glass of water suddenly appeared out of the blue next to them, he did not approve at all.

"Jonesy!" he hissed scoldingly. "What'd you do that for? We're not allowed to do that anymore!" He noticed how much better she looked, too. The light color of her skin had returned, and her eyes sparkled again. He, on the other hand, felt like he was hungover.

"Just drink it, Wybie," she said, thrusting the glass into his shaking hands. "It'll make you feel better."

Wybie gulped, more sweat forming above his eyebrows. His stomach churned, he felt nauseous, but the water would help. It would definitely make him feel better, but what if the cat found out...?

"J-just this once..." he whispered, and raised the icy glass to his lips, taking a drink of the water. It felt wonderful as it went down. He felt the nauseous stomach ache fade away, the headache disappear, and his shoulders slumped in relief, and partially exhaustion. Wybie drained the glass with another gulp, wiping his hand over the back of his mouth.

"W-wow..." he breathed, smiling a little. "I really do feel better."

Coraline smiled triumphantly. "See? It's a lot better than feeling sick all of the time."

Wybie nodded in agreement, and felt a slight pang of guilt. "But... if we keep living off of this place... we won't be able to go home..." he felt his voice crack a little. He was desperate to go to his Grandmother, but every time he stepped out of the door... It was the worst feeling he had ever experienced.

"It's just one cup of water," the girl huffed. "You needed it, too. So, it's fine."

"I guess..." Wybie mumbled, and Coraline patted him on the back.

"Don't worry about it, Wybie. Get some sleep." she motioned to his folded-up jacket, and he crawled over to it, laying down. He put his arms over his stomach, and looked up at Coraline, who was on the ground beside him.

"Remember our first night here...?" he said. The blue-haired girl nodded, staring up at the ceiling in thought.

"It was a lot better, then... we had cheeseburgers, beds..." he chuckled, but his heart was not in it. "Now look at us. We're like urchins."

Coraline did actually steal a look around the two. The world was so much different than it had been before, like it knew they were going to try and abandon it. The far sides were pitch black, she couldn't see a thing. It was deeply unnerving, in all honesty. She half expected the Beldam to lash out with her knife-like hands, and steal one of them away. Wybie did not seem to notice, however, he just rambled on.

"Ahh... remember when I had that asthma attack?" he laughed again, this time with more feeling. His eyes were closed now. "Now _that _was trippy..."

Coraline just gave the boy a look. When she did not reply, he opened a lazy green eye, raising an eyebrow. "What? It was!" he snapped in his defense. "It was like a dream..."

The girl only had one ear opened to Wybie; she was thinking about where the cat was. For some reason, he never spent the night with them, but was there all day, unless he was hunting for food. She saw an opportunity to take, and smiled.

"Y'know... Dreaming sounds really..." Wybie yawned widely, covering it with his hand. "really nice right about now..." he said, shifting onto his side with a small noise that sounded like "nhh."

Coraline sighed, watching him get comfortable on the floor.

"Goodnight, Jonesy..." came Wybie's soft voice from next to her. She could tell he was on the verge of sleep again, all of the symptoms mostly gone, and she smiled. It was going to be a good sleep, she knew it. A nightmare-free one.

"Goodnight, Wybie," she said. "sweet dreams."

* * *

"Mm... I'm still hungry." Wybie said, rubbing his nearly empty stomach. The small amount of berries he had consumed were making it churn threateningly, and he was almost on the point of turning green again. Coraline moved a drenched, wet strand of brown hair from her face, glaring down at the cat.

"This... is ridiculous." she growled. The black animal didn't even spare a glance at her.

"Not ridiculous," he said, sniffing the air. Then his eyes flashed dangerously as he sensed it.

"You two have been doing something," he hissed, arching his back. Wybie's eyes widened, and he paled considerably, half from the "effects" and half from fear.

They were caught.

Coraline simply sneered. "You've been torturing us! How can we NOT want for this to stop? _He _has nightmares-" she pointed to him. "and _I _can't even sleep!"

Wybie sat back on his arms, listening to her speech. He ran a hand through his perspiration-soaked hair in stress.

"They would have subsided by now, if you hadn't been wishing for things," the cat bared his sharp teeth. "But if you would like to stay here, I'll leave you to your fantasies."

And he took off into the darkness of the world, the two children staring in shock.

At least, until Wybie suddenly turned a dark shade of green, turning from his friend to wretch onto the ground, whimpering slightly. Coraline frowned and crawled over to him, rubbing gentle circles on his back.

What were they going to do without the cat?

**

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**

**...Well. That took forever. ;; **

**I hope you enjoyed it. 3**


	15. The Ending

Wybie didn't remember how it happened.

One second, they were stuck in that hell of a world, trying to nurse each other back to health by wishing up things, and the next, they were home.

Coraline doesn't remember how they got out, either. Even the memories of their stay was a mystery. The movies, the asthma attack, the Symptoms... They were blurry to the mind, almost like a dream. Maybe it was a dream.

"A dream...?" Wybie mumbled, rubbing his head as he sat up in his bed, perfectly fine and healthy. Looking at the blinking red numbers on the clock, it was twelve in the morning. Midnight. He looked out at his window, jumping at the sight of two, cold blue eyes and a shadow of black fur. It was a blur as it jumped from his window. Was it the cat?

"Weird things always happen at midnight..." he said, picking up the phone to call Coraline.

It was the same situation with the girl.

* * *

"Yeah, I don't really remember anything either. It was weird..."

"Maybe we just ate something and it gave us bad dreams?" Wybie wondered aloud, twirling the phone's cord absentmindedly.

"Maybe..." She was thinking hard, and he could tell, so he remained silent for a moment.

"What are you thinking, Jonesy?" he eventuall asked

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone. The boy held his breath, waiting for her answer. It was as if he expected her to give him the answer of the meaning of life. They were best friends after all.

"I... I don't know, Wybie." she whispered, sighing. The brunette let out the breath he'd been holding and crumpled his eyebrows in confusion.

That was the first time Coraline had ever stuttered around him. That nervous tone only worried him further.

"Maybe we should just... you know. Stake out the door tonight?

"...That sounds like a good idea, actually."

"I'll see you at eleven tonight, okay?" he replied.

"Alright. See you then, Wyb."

The boy hung up the phone, staring out into the rain. Was everything really just a dream? Or was it something more?

He hadn't seen the cat since...

Since he discovered their use of the magic.

He wondered where he could be. Hunting? Did he leave for good? Was that really his shadow when he had woken up from the dream?

* * *

Sitting on the old couch, their attention focused mainly on the door. Except for the occasional blink or stretch, neither moved. It was storming outside, so the only light flashed through the window in the lightning.

And that's how every tale starts..." Wybie murmured to himself. Coraline heard through a clash of thunder.

"What starts?" she asked suspiciously.

"'_It was a dark and stormy night..._' You know that tale, right?" he smiled slightly at her.

"Everyone who's seen a horror movie does." she rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Exactly! This is why we shouldn't have watched Saw!"

"You just didn't like it 'cause you're a wuss for blood and gore."

"Got that right..." he shuddered at the thought of all of those death traps and bloody scenes. It was enough to give anyone the chills.

Now the two children started to grow paranoid, looking over their shoulders and jumping at the thunder, the thoughts of horror movies running through their heads. The creeps always came out at night, right? The creeps, burglers, stalkers, murderers... Witches. They tried to focus their attention to the door, which showed no evidence of ever being unlocked. even the key was gone, now. Wybie wondered if the cat had disposed of it somewhere.

There was a lot of things he had been wondering about the cat.

"What do you think?" he asked eventually; quietly. He was curious of his friend's opinion of the odd turn of events.

"What do I think about what?" she raised an eyebrow. The boy rubbed the sleepiness from his eyes.

"About the dreams – Other World – thing... Do you think it was real?"

It had seemed so real... but most dreams do. The ones you remember the most leave that sense of reality, the sense of deja vu. Coraline paused before answering. Her words were cautious and careful. She didn't know what to believe. Not anymore.

"I... Think they were."

Wybie nodded silently in agreement. "What I don't get was the fact that, if it was real, how we got out. I-I mean... It was all so... sudden. I was sick, and the cat had left... And that's all I remember. "

It was confusing, the way the puzzle pieces didn't fit. Maybe they just had to be looked at at a different angle...

"I know how you feel," she agreed, brushing her hair with her fingers, still watching the door. There were scratches from whenever the Other mother's hand had gotten through, but they were faded and barely visible from the other end of the room. She pictured those marks stained with dried blood. Her blood.

* * *

The stakeout wasn't successful, but after scavenging around his room, Wybie had found a journal. It was a dark brown, like chocolate, and had one word written on it:

P a r a d i s a

Fascinated, he plopped down on his bed and began flipping through the pages. Each page was labeled with "Day _ in Para"

Day One- Arrival

Day Two-Exploration

Day Three...

Everything was described of what happened that day. It went all the way to Day 365. For some reason, he didn't tell Corline about the strange journal. It just didn't feel right. But after day 365...

It stopped.

It took Wybie a week to read all of the entries, which happened to be in his handwriting, and once he was finished stared at the page.

The three hundred sixty fifth day was marked "Escape"

And there was nothing written.

All that there was was a black paw print and a drawing of a small, black cat with ice blue eyes and coal black fur.

The tips of Wybie's mouth pulled into a smile, and from behind, he heard a familiar meow come from the window.

**

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**

**Sorry for the suckish, terrible ending. :[ I couldn't think of anything else, plus, I think it's a good place to stop at.**

**P.S – Predator and Prey is getting deleted and imma write it with Autumn's Melody in a joint fanfiction on our new account – The Chocolate Palm Tree.**

**Keep your eyes peeled!**

**x-X-Chocolate-coated-creation-X-x**


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